Bad sports, good sports: Bernard Hopkins steps way over the line in his attack on Donovan McNabb

Posted on May 16th, 2011 by Alan Spoll

It’s hard to believe, but Donovan McNabb is under fire yet again. In an offseason dominated by labor strife and the question of whether or not there will even be an NFL season this year, we are somehow still talking about the supposed failings of McNabb. His antagonist this time is a familiar one: boxer and Philadelphia native Bernard Hopkins.

Hopkins has gone after McNabb before. Back in 2008, he claimed that the Eagles needed a new quarterback because McNabb was simply not tough enough. By that point, nine years into Donovan’s tenure in Philadelphia, I was inclined to agree with him. This week, Hopkins went further and spoke more harshly than I would have, particularly if I were a public figure the way he is (I don’t think my column here qualifies me as such). What he said last time wasn’t too far over the line, though. This time, he went all in. He stated that McNabb’s shortcomings as a football player were due to his privileged upbringing in the suburbs of Chicago. Not content to be only vaguely racist, Hopkins actually went so far as to suggest that Donovan isn’t really black. “He’s got a suntan. That’s all.”

Whatever respect I may have had for Bernard Hopkins went right out the window when he said these things. He also used a comparison to slavery during his rant, claiming that McNabb was like a house slave, who felt he was better than the average player because of his closeness to the team’s leadership group. I am not sure why I am surprised that a boxer would say something stupid, but I was astonished and thoroughly disgusted by these comments. First, the suggestion that a man would be less prepared to play quarterback in the NFL because he grew up with two middle-class parents rather than in a broken, poverty-stricken home, sickens me. To take that further and claim that McNabb is somehow not actually a member of the same race as the boxer is one of the most offensive things I have ever heard. I am not African-American, and I can not claim to have any basis for understanding the kind of thinking that would bring someone to make a statement like that. I am pretty sure, though, that there is no scenario in which I would agree with it.

There are a lot of reasons why I was glad that Donovan McNabb left Philadelphia. Most of them have to do with simple fatigue; he was here for a long time, never won the big game, and always seemed to say the wrong thing. The longer it went on, the harder it was to take the constant passes into the ground and the bogus-seeming looseness that Donovan tried to sell when we knew well that he was tighter than a drum. He may well be the best quarterback in Eagles history, though, and I respect the man for a solid career and for managing to never totally lose it when being repeatedly attacked by people who like to hear themselves talk.

Bad sports, continued:

2) Todd Reynolds, a hockey agent, took the bizarre step of publicly chastising New York Rangers forward Sean Avery for his support of same-sex marriage. After Avery participated in a video by the Human Rights Campaign that asks for equal rights for all, Reynolds spoke out on Twitter, saying “Very sad to read Sean Avery’s misguided support of same-gender ‘marriage.’ Legal or not, it will always be wrong. To clarify. This is not hatred or bigotry towards gays. It is not intolerance in any way shape or form. I believe we are all equal. But I believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. This is my personal viewpoint. I Do not hate anyone.” Yes, this was multiple tweets. My favorite thing about bigotry and hatred is when the person spewing it then tells you that it is not bigotry or hatred.

3) Crazy golf-ball-sized hail fell at Target Field in Minneapolis on Tuesday, interrupting the Twins game against the Detroit Tigers. Check out the video.

4) It was a bad week to be an athlete, apparently. Derek Boogaard, a tough guy on the New York Rangers, was found dead in his apartment on Friday. Former NBA player Robert “Tractor” Traylor, who was playing basketball in Puerto Rico, was also found dead in his apartment, and Aaron Douglas, an offensive tackle for the University of Alabama, was found dead in a Florida home after attending a party.

5) Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley pitched eight innings of one-hit ball in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday. Kenley Jensen, a reliever, pitched the ninth and did not allow a hit. Why is this Bad Sports, you ask? The Dodgers lost, 1-0. That’s a tough one.

6) Tiger Woods’ rough stretch continued this week, as he withdrew from the Players Championship on Thursday after only nine holes, complaining of knee and Achilles pain. The fact that he was six shots over par after those nine holes can’t have helped his state of mind.

Good sports:

1) Tennis star Novak Djokovic continued his spectacular 2011 on Sunday, defeating Rafael Nadal to win the Italian Open. He has won 37 consecutive matches this year.

2) Check out this lacrosse goal from Gonzaga College Prep School on Monday. You don’t see that every day.

Bad sports, good sports appears every Monday

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02